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Youth Work Projects Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Questions (715, 721, 722)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

715. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the number of positions arising in the youth work sector that are exclusively for community employment scheme applicants; her further views that specialised youth workers who do not qualify for community employment have few employment opportunities as a result; if she will examine the issue with a view to finding a solution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55224/13]

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Simon Harris

Question:

721. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of youth workers currently funded through her Department or an agency under her remit; if she will provide a breakdown of these youth workers by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1052/14]

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Simon Harris

Question:

722. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which a youth group or organisation working with young people in a town which has no youth worker may seek to obtain funding for such a post; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1053/14]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 715, 721 and 722 together.

My Department provides funding to support the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. The funding schemes support the work of some 32 national and regional youth organisations and some 480 local youth work projects and involve services to some 400,000 young people throughout the country. The youth organisations and services are voluntary, not for profit organisations or limited companies. It is estimated that some 40,000 volunteers are involved in the sector.

The recruitment, employment and deployment of staff including youth workers are matters for the youth organisations and services themselves. An Assessment of the Economic Value of Youth Work (Indecon, 2012) carried out on behalf of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), estimated that there were the equivalent of 1,397 individuals employed on a full-time, paid basis in the sector. These employees include those in management roles as well as service delivery and include youth workers. Youth workers are employed directly by the youth organisations, services and projects to deliver programmes and services including recreational, sporting, learning, volunteering and personal and social development opportunities for young people throughout the country. Information about the number of youth workers employed by youth organisations and services by county is not readily available to my Department.

With regard to the Deputy's enquiries about the possibility of securing support for a youth worker position for a local service, if the Deputy provides details of the situation in question, my Department will make arrangements to clarify the matter with the relevant youth organisation or Education and Training Board in the locality.

The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an important feature of the voluntary youth work sector. Under the CE scheme, youth organisations and services sponsor placements offering work experience and skills acquisition opportunities to unemployed people to improve their chances of integration into employment elsewhere in the economy. It is a requirement of the scheme that the placements offered do not displace or replace existing jobs. Youth work organisations and youth projects benefit through the contribution of CE workers in areas such as maintenance, security, caretaking, the administration of youth facilities, youth centres and youth activity centres and work which is essential to the effective organisation of youth groups, particularly in youth projects for disadvantaged young people. The NYCI report indicated that in 2010, there were some 256 CE workers employed in the youth sector

My objective is to ensure the ongoing development and provision of, and access to, quality youth work services to young people. Well qualified and trained youth workers have a key contribution to make to the attainment of this objective along with skilled volunteers who have a significant role the provision of local services. The National Youth Work Advisory Committee which comprises representatives of the voluntary youth services, Government Departments and other youth work interests, has an important advisory role to me in this context.

I, and officials of my Department have met, and will continue to meet, with many youth organisations and groups to try and see how we can work together to ensure the most effective and efficient use of the resources available in order to achieve these shared objectives for the provision of quality services to meet the needs of young people.

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